Digital Asset Management for IT Professionals

When it comes to identifying a robust digital asset management (DAM) system, there are a few key elements that need to be present: security, scalability, usability and integration capabilities. As a solution for media sharing, DAM software should be considered a marketing fulfillment technology. In other words, it’s a system designed to facilitate and support marketing activities.

Thinking of digital asset management with these elements in mind, you’ll need to decide between an on-premise solution, versus a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) cloud-based DAM system.

Security

We understand that security is an important concern. If you purchase and install a DAM system, you are in charge of security, and must maintain standards per internal processes. When it comes to SaaS, you are putting your organization’s digital assets in someone else’s hands, which makes it important to understand and evaluate the security options for a SaaS solution.

Scalability

In light of this, it’s obvious that the scalability factor of a DAM system is very important. The content needs of marketers and creatives are only going to grow. Exponentially. For certain, they will keep adding to the current library of images, videos and graphics making the implementation of a robust, scalable digital asset management system a must. It’s also very likely that the file sizes of digital assets will continue to grow along with the volume of assets produced. While a DAM system provides organization and ease of use regarding assets, scalability ensures long-term success by allowing your digital library to grow and evolve as necessary.

Usability

Something we’ve already alluded to is usability. Your digital asset management software needs to be easy to use for everyone, not just the tech-savvy people. Of course, a certain amount of training will be involved for all users, with heavy users needing a greater understanding of the DAM system. How intuitive are the DAM solutions you’re considering? Just as important, what type of ongoing support does each provider offer?

Integration

Do the digital asset management solutions you’re considering play nice with your other systems and applications? In other words, do they offer an application-programming interface (API)? If so, you’ll have the option to create personalized apps for business and marketing integrations or connect with project management platforms, proofing applications and other marketing technologies. This can help your organization save time, money — and create more efficient workflows. We’ve taken an in-depth look at integration in our article, Digital asset management integrations.

So, while there is a valid concern about security and scalability, don’t forget to evaluate usability and integration as well. An easy-to-use, intuitive system means users from creative, marketing and executive teams can use the digital asset management software without much training. This will help reduce time showing people how to use the system, and increase user adoption over the lifetime of the system.

Here’s one organization’s take on how a DAM system helps his user base, and what it means to be usable out of the box:

Conclusion

Since there’s so much to think about when evaluating digital asset management systems, making sure you start your search with a clear idea of what your team needs in terms of security, scalability, usability and integration capabilities can go a long way in helping you decide on a solution that suits you best.